


with more room to fly.

by oceansgrey



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, M/M, Team Bonding, Team Feels, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 15:49:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18528196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansgrey/pseuds/oceansgrey
Summary: Three times Sasuke comforted his team, and one time they comforted him.





	with more room to fly.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is a bit of lyrics from Gregory and the Hawk's "Boats & Birds"

It first starts with Suigetsu. He was the first, after all.

Sasuke notices the sudden change in his mood almost instantly once they’re stuck in a small room of the Eastern Hideout, the way the usually playful demeanor fades to something silent, something nervous. Suigetsu’s lip twitches from where it’s in a frown, his arms coming to wrap around himself while Karin skims through a scroll left behind, something that might be needed. The room is too cramped compared to where Sasuke used to reside, his own lavish room a present from Orochimaru. Rather, they’re crammed into Kabuto’s closet of a bedroom, a forgotten scroll left in the drawer of his desk.

Suigetsu looks clammy, moreso than usual, and Sasuke can vaguely see the change in his breathing. Jugo is leaning over Karin’s shoulder to see what she was pointing at on the document, allowing Sasuke the freedom to walk over to Suigetsu and be by his side.

“You can go into the hall if you need to,” Sasuke whispered, barely heard, a hand coming to rest at the small of Suigetsu’s back. “Lie about saying you need to get more water, just so you can leave,”

The look Suigetsu gives him is that of relief, all but bolting from the room, the enclosed small space too much.

Later on, when night had fallen, and they were in their rooms at the inn and silence had fallen over the team as Karin and Jugo slept, Suigetsu thanked him.

“Just go to bed, Suigetsu,” Sasuke rolled his eyes, but his smile told Suigetsu that his thanks was appreciated.

One thing Suigetsu cherished was getting Sasuke to smile, and sometimes laugh, and it was the least he could do for the man who saved him from Orochimaru.

 

Jugo hated being away from nature. He loved travelling with Sasuke, enjoying the fresh air the land they travelled brought, the sound of birds chirping in the air, the serenity of being outdoors soothing his aggressive tendencies.

Karin and Suigetsu were arguing, as usual, the noise starting to worm its way into his head, the calmness he was once enjoying suddenly snapping into murderous rage. He felt his body ache as the Curse Mark began to crawl across his skin. The sudden urge to tear into Suigetsu until he was nothing but a puddle or to tear Karin limb from limb overwhelmed his thoughts, surging towards the two faster than they could turn around to defend themselves.

Caramel eyes met crimson irises, three tomoe bursting to life.

He suddenly felt drained of all anger, and very tired. A calm, cool hand pressed against his chest, over his left breast, as if to calm the pounding in his heart that threatened to burst from his ribcage.

“It’s alright, Jugo,” Sasuke’s dulcet tone the only sound in his ears. “I promised I would be your cage,”

Suigetsu and Karin breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for Sasuke preventing the attack. Jugo frowned, hating the idea that he could have killed his teammates, but relief coursing through his body as he knew Sasuke would be his anchor.

Sasuke stayed close by his side the remainder of the trip, hand laced with Jugo’s, only departing from his side later at night when they relaxed at an inn. Knowing that he was there, curled up like a cat on the futon beside him, allowed for Jugo to relax enough to fall into a dreamless sleep.

 

Teeth.

Teeth, sinking into small thighs, tearing into the flesh. Large hands, hands of an adult man, gripping her too tightly, touches too rough to a young child of ten. Cold, snakelike hands gripping her arm, pinning it down to jam a needle into it to draw blood, demanding the healing properties of her clan.

Karin jolted from her sleep, chest heaving as she reached up to brush the tears that were pouring nonstop, anger settling deep in her chest for crying. The abuse happened years ago, but in her nightmares, it still felt so real.

The scars that littered her arms, chest, and inner thighs told a different story, her half-assed attempt to cover them to block out the painful memories that came when she saw them futile.

She liked it when Sasuke bit her to heal himself, happy to assist him, but he never strayed from her wrist. She was forever thankful.

“Karin,” he said, voice thick with sleep. “Go back to bed,”

She was no longer in Kusa, being forced to heal gross men who abused her. She was no longer a pawn of Orochimaru, forced to participate in lab tests.

Karin was by Sasuke’s side, the two opting to share a room this time around during their travels. She took in a deep breath, trying to will herself to calm down.

Sasuke sighed from across the room before he forced himself out of bed, going to lay down by Karin’s side, an arm thrown loosely over her.

“Sleep,” he all but commanded, and the comforting weight of his arm on her helped her heartbeat steady.

He would never tell her that she fell asleep with her head pressed against his chest, arms holding him tightly. Sasuke was simply helping their only healer relax and get some sleep before they went out to fight Itachi tomorrow.

He would never admit that he held her close, thoughts coursing through his mind as he clung to her, an anchor to him almost as much as he was to her.

 

The waves crashed against the rocks, the sound of the ocean a loud roar over the sound of Sasuke sobbing. It pained Karin to watch him stand there, shoulders shaking harshly as he struggled to breath. Jugo wanted to hold Sasuke, to take all the pain from having to kill his brother and then learning the truth behind the whole massacre, his brother dying a martyr. Suigetsu sat back, unable to watch Sasuke crumble into the sniveling mess he now was, processing his grief. Suigetsu hadn’t even been allowed to mourn his own brother’s death, and he couldn’t image the pain Sasuke was feeling.

After swearing to destroy the Leaf, after changing the name of the team, once Madara had left, the members of Team Taka went to their fearless leader, three sets of arms wrapping around the youngest Uchiha. Sasuke all but collapsed, pressing his face into Jugo’s shoulder as he sobbed, a heart-wrenching cry that physically pained them. Karin squeezed her arms around him a bit too tightly, trying to fight off her own set of tears at seeing Sasuke in so much pain. Suigetsu brought a hand up to Sasuke’s back, rubbing the stiff muscles there while trying to shush him, to calm him down to at least try to breath normal. Jugo rested his cheek on the top of Sasuke’s head, his arms around the group to pull them closer, to the point where they were squished together.

Jugo, Suigetsu and Karin remember vividly how haunting Sasuke looked, following Madara to the sight of the battle, Kisame in tow. The missing mist nin couldn’t even look at the cooled body of his partner, mumbling about something in the tragedy of a genius being cut down. Sasuke was still laying on the ground, blood on his face, emitting the very meaning of sorrow as he slightly turned his face to look at his teammates. He had been so exhausted, hollow eyes almost just like that of the brother who laid beside him.

When Sasuke’s cries subsided, when he finally allowed himself to rest, falling into a fitful sleep, Taka realized how human their leader was, how afraid he was. Jugo brushed his bangs from his face, watching Sasuke’s face, once scrunched up at his dreams, now relax under the large calming hand that rested on his cheek. Karin worked on healing his wounds, the warm glow of green healing jutsu flowing from her hands onto his chest, steadying him. Suigetsu kept watch, still wary of the Akatsuki leader who demanded they work for.

Bonds came in all types of forms, and after watching Sasuke suffer when he had tried to be there for each of their individual traumas, the members of Taka realized they needed to be there for him, too.

**Author's Note:**

> I was playing through the formation of Team Hebi in Ninja Storm 2 and I had some feels.  
> Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to comment/critique!


End file.
